Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Box Office Review] 2013.11.01 ~ 2013.11.03

The God of Thunder has struck the Korean peninsula and taken charge atop its box office. "Thor: The Dark World" hammered home 827,625 admissions to deny "Blood and Ties" a second weekend title as Korea's choice flick. Last week Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity" and "Blood and Ties" partook in a photo finish whereby the local effort pulled through on ticket stubs, while the big budget blockbuster claimed the cash prize due to its 3D splendour. This past weekend's results, however, put a sharp stop to the squabbling, as a new king was crown in the form of the Marvel's "Thor" and his second eventful arrival on our petty planet. 

The space thriller "Gravity" claimed second place with 341,028 admissions, an effort that saw its hope swell to a healthy (but not stellar) 2.3 million. "Gravity" has been extremely well received internationally with critics citing its extraordinary special effects and other technical accomplishments; while audiences of all ages and interests were summoned in droves to attend this 'must-see' cinematic event. The film really invites filmgoers to take advance to its 3D consciousness, a push that results in higher ticket prices than those regular 2D dullards. Last week "Gravity" slugged it out with "Blood and Ties", a battle that seems to have been over before it really started, as the latter's performance here was perhaps a little lacklustre. Gook Dong-seok's disturbing opening act claimed 306,923 admissions to settle in third place just behind its spacey rival.

"NO-BREATH" and "Days of Wrath" were the most successful of the new local releases, with Cho Yong-sun's "NO-BREATH" following on from "Blood and Ties" in fourth. "NO-BREATH" came in around a hundred thousand stubs lighter than Gook's family thriller, eventually claiming 190,807 over Novembers first scheduled weekend. Shin Jai-ho's "Days of Wrath" had less of good time though. It only managed a limp 98,415, a quiet and respectful entry into the Korean market that, while disrupted the middle order somewhat, failed to cause any of the major cinematic waves we have seen the Korean peninsula bombarded with this year.

Lee Joon-ik's new drama "Hope" (143,994), his eight feature, was able to outrank "Hwayi : A Monster Boy" this time around, claiming 56,633 to secured a sound sixth place finish. Lee's family affair was released earlier in the month and has since stumble upon 2.6 million admissions, a figure closely matched by "Hwayi : A Monster Boy" who is currently sitting on a stack 2.3 million high. Last weekend "Hwayi : A Monster Boy" claimed third with 169,192 admissions, however it only managed 48,251 admissions this past weekend, a drop that result in a tumble down the chart all the way until sixth. The only other foreign entries to crack a nob were "Snowflake the White Gorilla" (28,815) and "Captain Phillips" (27,269), they occupied positions eight and ninth respectfully and without contention. Park Joong-hoon's "Top Star" rounded out the Korean chart, but was only able to grab a slither of the limelight with the 9,278 tickets it successfully pawned.

- C.J. Wheeler (chriscjw@gmail.com@KoreaOnTheCouch)

 

Korean Box Office - Admissions for the Weekend 2013.11.01 - 2013.11.03 (www.kobis.or.kr)

# Films Release date Week-end Total
1 "Thor: The Dark World"   827 625 1 053 079
2 "Gravity"   341 028 2 316 190
3 "Blood and Ties" (공범 ) 2013/10/24 306 923 1 339 335
4 "NO-BREATH" (노브레싱) 2013/10/30 190 807 285 067
5 "Days of Wrath" (응징자) 2013/10/31 98 415 147 971
6 "Hope" (소원) 2013/10/02 56 633 2 647 727
7 "Hwayi : A Monster Boy" (화이 : 괴물을 삼킨 아이) 2013/10/09 48 251 2 370 613
8 "Snowflake the White Gorilla" (Floquet de Neu, 2011)   28 815 30 977
9 "Captain Phillips"   27 269 219 083
10 "Top Star" (톱스타) 2013/10/24 9 278 164 215
Korean movies only  
  "If You Were Me 6" (어떤 시선) 2013/10/24 5 508 14 960
  "One of a Kind 3D: G Dragon 2013 1st World Tour" (원 오브 어 카인드 3D: G-Dragon 2013 1st World Tour) 2013/10/31 4 397 6 327
  "Mango Tree" (망고트리) 2013/10/31 3 776 7 073
  "Commitment" (동창생) 2013/11/06 2 309 6 067
  "Rough Play" (배우는 배우다) 2013/10/24 2 263 110 230
  "The Face Reader" (관상) 2013/09/11 2 166 9 125 975
  "Talking Architect, City:Hall" (말하는 건축 시티 : 홀) 2013/10/24 768 2 813
  "Fasten Your Seatbelt" (롤러코스터) 2013/10/17 697 269 759
  "Nora Noh" (노라노) 2013/10/31 671 1 543
  "Delicious Love Formula - Sex" (맛있는 사랑공식 - 섹스) 2013/10/31 480 780

Advertisement

❎ Try Ad-free